Of all the Shondaland couples, George and Charlotte are the most majestic.
TheShondalandseries, itself a spinoff of the wildly popularBridgerton,crafted an adorable first meeting for the duo.
She is climbing the garden wall, attempting to escape her fate, when George interrupts her.
Corey Mylchreest and India Amarteifio in ‘Queen Charlotte’.Liam Daniel/Netflix
Rom-com worthy, to be sure.
But for Amarteifio, it was mostly about trying not to fall off the wall in her expansive costumes.
“So, I didn’t have think about that.
Golda Rosheuvel and James Fleet in ‘Queen Charlotte’.Liam Daniel/Netflix
I wish I’d pulled something slightly more picturesque.
And you dealt with it like a pro.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You two are one of the newer couples in Shondaland history.
India Amarteifio and Corey Mylchreest in ‘Queen Charlotte’.Liam Daniel/Netflix
COREY MYLCHREEST:Well, the first time that we met was when we were doing a chemistry test.
I said, “What do you like?”
And you said, “Oh, I like darts.”
India Amarteifio and Corey Mylchreest in ‘Queen Charlotte’.Nick Wall/Netflix
And I thought, “Oh, amazing.
I’ve just been watching the world darts' championship.
Was your meeting in the garden the first thing you shot together?
India Amarteifio and Corey Mylchreest in ‘Queen Charlotte’.Nick Wall/Netflix
So, doing it fresh off the bat of starting the job would have had a completely different outcome.
Our first scene together actually was the scene just after the wedding when we arrive at Blenheim Palace.
What was the approach for both of you?
Corey Mylchreest and India Amarteifio in ‘Queen Charlotte’.Liam Daniel/Netflix
You don’t want peak too soon because you want to give the audience something to grow with.
It’s because of similarities in their relationship to the world and to the society that surrounds them.
And they’re two young people that are attracted to each other as well.
Corey Mylchreest and India Amarteifio in ‘Queen Charlotte’.Netflix
AMARTEIFIO:The writing informed us completely.
When you are focusing on character, you’re not thinking that far ahead.
And we were very blessed that the scripts allowed that.
Corey Mylchreest and India Amarteifio in ‘Queen Charlotte’.Nick Wall/Netflix
AMARTEIFIO:Honestly, some of those days, we were up so early.
I remember that day we were up at like 4 a.m, to get that beautiful sunrise.
AMARTEIFIO:I remember Corey had a slingshot that day.
Golda Rosheuvel in ‘Bridgerton’.Liam Daniel/Netflix
MYLCHREEST:Yes I did!
I broke a boiled egg.
Jim, the sound guy, it was his.
I don’t know if the egg was also Jim’s.
And then I slingshot-ed the egg and broke into it.
And I said, “Sorry.”
And then he said, “Don’t worry.”
And then he proceeded to still peel and eat this boiled egg.
He said, “Don’t waste a good egg,” or something like that.
How did you find the right tenor of that?
Did you try saying it a lot of different ways?
I knew that that was a way that he referred to himself.
And he was just correcting it.
It wasn’t a thing.
But it’s so weird to think that those are the things that pick up traction.
Because they’re not really at the forefront of your mind when performing.
AMARTEIFIO:That’s what works though, because it’s authentic.
You weren’t trying anything, it just happened.
So much of this love story is how Charlotte shows up for George in his more difficult moments.
So prepping those, especially that scene where she’s Venus, what did that entail?
I felt a lot of pressure and I was nervous leading up to it.
AMARTEIFIO:He couldn’t have said any better.
I didn’t feel like I needed to honestly do any prep.
So, I knew that I had to show up and that was my own pressure to be there.
But ultimately, I just had to be led by my friend.
It was very intense though to watch.
It was super cold and super late at night, and Corey’s butt naked.
At least not as a like sane, healthy person.
Netflix
Another big milestone in their relationship is that he fights to stay with her through childbirth.
When you first read that in the script, were you surprised?
Because it is obviously not normal for this time period or for the royal family.
AMARTEIFIO:It’s not a shock because that feels like something George would do.
So, I wasn’t shocked.
It’s like you’re birthing a phantom baby almost.
Corey, was that your first time being present for a woman in labor?
MYLCHREEST:On screen, yes, off screen, I’ve done it many times.
I’ve aided many, many, many midwiferies.
[Laughs] It was completely my first time, of course.
I really thought that I was doing some s— work, basically.
I was smoking a cigarette outside, and Tom was like, “Dude, you’re fine.”
But other than that, I remember the scream that India made.
It’s such a specific scream because it’s not like a scream that’s like hoarse.
It was a really clean scream.
I remember using that on the day because it didn’t feel fake.
That is a scene about Charlotte and George’s bravery.
But also it’s very subtly a scene of female allyship between those two.
What was filming that like?
Because you’re under a bed, there’s got to be a camera in your face.
AMARTEIFIO:That was mental.
It was a crazy day.
They basically filmed it a multitude of different ways.
They filmed it clean off Golda [Rosheuvel] and James [Fleet] doing the scene.
Then, they swapped James out and they swapped in Corey.
Then, they did that scene together.
Then Golda stepped out.
And also, the mechanics of how that day worked.
But it was a technical, emotional day.
Were you both actually laying on the floor in terms of the setup?
And that was quite an emotional day.
It’s so strange and it’s a real challenge to stay in the thought of the character.
No matter where you look, there’s a camera there.
It’s a lesson in acceptance.
Because often you’re analyzing, doing all of those vain egotistical things.
I will never have the words to describe that feeling.
Liam Daniel/Netflix
What do you think sets Charlotte and George apart in the world of Shondaland?
AMARTEIFIO:Honestly, I don’t think they’re necessarily set apart.
Shonda and the team are so fantastic at writing characters that mean something to people outside of the show.
Having real world impact is what makesQueen Charlotteand their story so real.
It does stand out in that way.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
